Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Star Teasing Return?
With Picard reigniting the Star Trek fanbase’s nostalgia for the Trek of old, could other legacy sequels be far behind? Armin Shimmerman, for one, is more than ready to strap on his oversized Ferengi ears should Paramount decide to give the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine crew the Picard treatment.
Shimmerman, who played Ferengi bartender Quark for seven seasons on DS9, recently revealed in an interview that he would gladly come back to Star Trek if asked.
“If someone were to ask me to be a recurring character on a Star Trek show, or any other show for that matter, as Quark, I would say yes.” Armin Shimmerman said in regards to returning to the beloved sci-fi franchise. While Shimmerman went on to admit that putting on the extensive prosthetic makeup used to transform him into Quark seemed “daunting,” at his age, he is still up to the challenge.
The actor admitted that Picard showrunner Terry Matalas regularly addressed him and Nana Visitor—another DS9 regular—at parties during Picard’s run, suggesting that the two should make an appearance on the show. Alas, Picard recently concluded its run without a cameo from either Armin Snimmerman as Quark or Visitor as Major Kira. Luckily, that doesn’t rule out future Quark returning in future classic Star Trek reboots.
Armin Shimmerman isn’t just game to return himself but stated that, in his estimation, the entire cast of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine would be on board for a new series. “I would certainly say yes, and I’m quite, quite sure Nana, I would say yes. I’m quite sure everybody who can do it would do it.” said Shimmerman.
Believe it or not, Quark has already returned to the Star Trek universe, and very recently, we might add. Armin Shimmerman reprised his role as the scheming Ferengi entrepreneur on a 2022 episode of the animated Star Trek series Lower Decks. While it’s not the full-on live-action return Shimmerman discusses in the interview, it’s still a start.
Provided Paramount does get around to making a Star Trek: Deep Space Nine legacy sequel, the biggest challenge facing Armin Shimmerman will be that extensive Ferengi makeup. As stated above, the actor isn’t the biggest fan of the full-head prosthetics used to turn him into Quark. “After about 10 hours, it became very hot, and I began to have symptoms like a head cold,” said Shimmerman, describing the difficulty he had wearing such heavy makeup for long periods of time.
But SFX makeup has changed a lot in the decades since Star Trek: Deep Space Nine went off the air. Between lighter materials and newer techniques, Armin Shimmerman should have a much easier time with the Quark prosthetics the second time around. There’s even a good possibility that the whole process could be done digitally now, sparing Shimmerman any discomfort whatsoever.
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine was the first Star Trek developed without Gene Roddenberry’s input. As such, the series had much to prove in the minds of the actors and fans alike. As Armin Shimmerman himself admits, “For years, we thought of ourselves as the lost middle child.”
In the years since DS9 made its television debut in 1993, it has become a beloved part of Star Trek’s past and is even loved by some fans more than Star Trek: The Next Generation. There’s no universe where a Deep Space Nine revival doesn’t make bank for Paramount, and now that we know Armin Shimmerman and much of the others are willing to return, our only words for Paramount are. “Make it so!”
